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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. game — wild animals
  8. season — in sport
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. game — a match
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wake — before a funeral

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com